Vinyl Moon by Mahogany L. Browne

Vinyl Moon Reviews

• 
  B is keeping a low profile

  "What is lost if you never knew what was missing? What is a question that has no answer? It’s me. It’s me."

  
  
  ~ Rating- 2 stars ~
  
  Content/ Trigger Warnings- Abusive relationships, Age gape in relationships, Power imbalance in relationships, Anxiety Attacks, Break ups, Child Neglect, Catcalling, Homophobia (mention) Poverty, Physical Assault, Teen Pregnancy, Toxic Parents, Taking care of siblings due to neglectful parents
  
  Note- I have tried to include all the content warnings that I noticed, but there is no guarantee that I haven’t missed something.
  
  -No Mention of these in the review-
  
  

  "It’s the constant fight for the respect of different ethnicities, cultures, and genders. You know? There isn’t one way to be beautiful."

  
  
  Vinyl Moon, by
  Mahogany L. Browne is a powerful and impactful book about the aftermaths of being in an abusive relationship, and how it impacts the way you perceive the world.
  
  

  "Have You Ever? Held your breath? Because you were afraid of what might come out when you exhale."

  
  
  Angel has lived in California all her life, with her bother, sisters and mother. But after a certain incident, she has to leave for Brooklyn, far away from the beloved life she has known.
  
  

  "One day, I was quiet. Next day, I had nothing to lose. But here I am. After losing everything and relocating to a city three thousand miles away from home. As my shoulder begins to ache, like a well-timed reminder of past mistakes, I try to shrug. I wish I could do it all differently. I just don’t know how."

  
  
  Angel feels out of sync with her new neighborhood. She can't shake the feeling everyone knows what happened--and how it was her fault. The only place that makes sense is Ms. G's class, where Angel's classmates share their own stories of pain and joy, Angel feels a bit at home.
  
  

  "Books make you tap into your own memories. Those memories come with old feelings—feelings you think you’ve put to bed. Just to find out after each page is read and the story unfolds, those memories have awakened, one by one. Memories of being afraid. Memories of being not enough. Memories of being misjudged. The kind of things that keep you up at night."

  
  
  ➼I liked Vinyl Moon for the most part. Despite the fact that I gave it 2 stars, it wasn't a bad book. It has a certain number of flaws, but it was still a great read.
  ➼The writing style was also good, and was a mix of poems and prose. It did read like a debut, and would have been better with one more round of editing, but it was still ok.
  ➼It touched on some important themes, like Angel's abusive relationship and her parents abusive relationship, but its not expanded on.
  ➼I'm also not sure who exactly the target age group for this book was. Some parts of it read like YA, but some parts of it read like MG. Angel sometimes sounds vey mature, and sometimes very immature. The book slightly lacked consistency in that regard.
  ➼Overall, Vinyl Moon was an entertaining read and I would recommend it.
  
  

  "I’m looking for stories that remind me of me."

  
  
  Review written on 16th February, 2022.
  
  
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  DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
  
  How I Rate-
  1 star- Hardly liked anything/was disappointed
  2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/was disappointed
  3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/was average/Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
  4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
  5 stars- Loved it/new favourite
  
  .........................
  
  Review to come.
• 
  Bookishrealm

  This is the third book that I've read by Mahogany L. Browne and she has yet to disappoint. I'm always amazed at how much she's able to capture in such short novels written in verse. Like in previous titles, Vinyl Moon captures the voices of it's main character and provides a storyline that a lot of young adult readers will appreciate and relate to.
  
  Vinyl Moon is so many things at once. It's a story about a young girl by the name of Angel who has escaped an abusive relationship and ends up as a transplant in Brooklyn, New York. There she is forced to start fresh, confront her trauma, make new friends, and begin the process of forgiving herself and healing. It's also a love letter to Black writers. Name after name of some of the most well-loved Black writers from the past and present including Toni Morrison, Jason Reynolds, Maya Angelou, and more are dropped within the words of this story. Angel finds a passion for reading where she also finds healing. As a person who also finds healing in reading, I definitely found myself resonating with Angel's literary journey. It's also a love letter to Brooklyn; it's food, culture, music, and more. As Angel becomes more acclimated to the city and its cultural diversity, the readers begin to enjoy seeing the city from her lens.
  
  When Angel begins her new school in Brooklyn, she is enrolled in a program called H.E.R where she meets other young women struggling with different things. This program becomes a foundation for Angel to not only make new friends, but also to be open about her struggles in her past relationship. It's a support system that Angel clearly needs. While this book does address the trauma experienced by many young Black girls, it doesn't delve explicitly into all of Angel's experiences on page. I've seen a lot of people criticize this; however, I think that it's the perfect example of how we can acknowledge the trauma of a community without having to bare it for the world to see. It feels less exploitive to some readers and I can see how this could be beneficial. Even without having to witness every single one of Angel's traumatic experiences, the message is still clear. More must be done to protect Black girls and more respect must be given to those (like Ms. G) who are already doing the necessary work to help these girls heal.
  
  Vinyl Moon is written in a unique format as it includes prose and poetry. The combination works well in the context of the story and I definitely appreciated it. There are so many beautiful parts of this novel and I can't wait to see what Browne plans to do in the future. If you haven't had the opportunity to read her yet I highly recommend it.
  
• 
  Rebecca McGee

  I rated this a 3.5 and rounded up to 4.
  
  This was a really good read, but there were a couple of things that I didn't quite enjoy.
  
  Vinyl Moon is the story of Angel, a California transplant to Brooklyn with a secret. She arrives in Brooklyn with a broken arm and a broken spirit to match. She starts at her new school and makes friends with the girls in her homeroom, eventually developing a love for books. Her love of music strengthens her newfound drive for reading.
  
  I wanted to read this book for obvious reasons. I'm a book lover and a music lover, this book was made for me, well maybe a younger me. I related to Angel’s desire to read books authored by POCs, I never liked reading the quote-unquote classics usually pushed on students because they weren't about people like me. I fully understood her need to see herself in the literature she consumed.
  
  Something I didn't like about this book was its hesitation to tackle tough subjects. Angel's parents had an abusive relationship, her mother was a neglectful alcoholic, and Angel herself was in an abusive relationship. All things were mentioned, but never fully explored. I don't mean I wanted all the gory details, but Angel never really gets a chance to process her trauma. She holds it all in, and then at the end of the book she shares her experiences with her homeroom and suddenly she's magically healed? Nope, didn't buy it.
  
  Another thing I didn't really like was the ending. It felt too neat. Nothing was ever really resolved or addressed. I appreciated that Angel reconciled with her mother, but that was the only thing that felt genuine. Really, not much of anything happened in the book. It was kinda like having a few bites of delicious food, good but unsatisfying.
  
  I received this ARC via Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.
• 
  kndrasi

  “Well, my teacher says whatever book that makes you feel like you are home can be a classic.” I really appreciate this quote because I truly believe that you don’t need to read certain books because they are considered “classics,” if a book doesn’t give you LIFE, than don’t waste your time reading it. I love that Angel has a love for reading and a passion for music because I related to her so much in that aspect. The storyline was engaging and I appreciated the short chapters as well.
• 
  Myia

  4/5
  
  Absolutely stunning ya read! Mahogany never lets me down! The only thing about this book I didn't like was that it was short I just wished it was longer.
  
  But I truly recommend this book it deals with a lot of relatable things happening in today's society.
• 
  Courtney

  A book lovers book. Also a love letter to public schools.
• 
  Aj

  I wish this book was longer but overall it was sad and good.
• 
  Ms. B

  Jumping between the present and recent past, a teen in high school, Angel, finds her voice and discovers Brooklyn.
  Give this to those who like stories about female empowerment and/or all things related to Brooklyn. After reading this, you too may want to check out Angel's Brooklyn neighborhood.
• 
  Sacha

  4 stars
  
  Browne just keeps turning out great reads in small but powerful packages; this is no exception.
  
  Angel, the m.c., has recently arrived in Brooklyn to live with her uncle after some sort of violent incident with her partner, Darius. Details about this incident roll out over the course of the text, but what matters much more than these details is how Angel's circumstances - and Angel herself - have changed as a result.
  
  When readers meet Angel, she is immediately post-move, she is furious with her mother (whom she comically only refers to by first name), and she is adjusting to her new circumstances. It becomes clear quickly that while Angel loves her large immediate family, she also has way too much responsibility in that space. She gets to grow in New York not only because of the environment and removal from toxic external individuals, but also because she has the space to finally be a kid. I expect that a lot of young readers will relate to this feeling and circumstance.
  
  The subject of domestic/relationship violence is handled so well here. Readers get insight into the good times, the emotional abuse, the incident that left Angel with a seriously wounded arm, and everything in between. The depictions of emotional abuse and gaslighting are especially well managed. Though Angel is a great character in her own right, the inclusion of these issues will be what makes this book a standout for a long time to come.
  
  I'll absolutely be adding this to my list of recommendations for students and will continue to look forward to these sure winners from Browne.
  
  *Special thanks to NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
• 
  Gemini

  I Feel Seen
  
  I didn’t know how much I needed this book. It spoke to me in a way that very few things can. The chapter titled “Have You Ever Been Catcalled?” was one of the most profound pieces that I’ve ever read. I saw myself. I saw why I wholeheartedly support the #ProtectBlackWomen movement. I wanted to climb into this book and hold Angel. I wanted to pour love into her the same way I do with my own daughters. As someone that finds peace in books and music, I celebrated how beautifully both art forms were woven into this story. This book was amazing. Sterling was adorable! I just really loved it all. I can’t wait to gift this book to my BFF and my daughter. I can’t wait to read it again for myself.
  
• 
  Natasha Niezgoda

  This exemplifies the beautiful and powerful relationship and bond between teachers and their students. The groundedness and sense of self and importance that is fostered when someone truly believes in your worth and future.
  
  3.75 ⭐️ rounded up.
• 
  Alexia

  •It‘s a rounded 3.5 stars.🎶
  
  •Also,it reminds me of "Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo since it talks about powerful subjects such as traditional families or the pressure put on black people,in general.
• 
  Erricka Hager

  A quick yet powerful read. I've never read anything by Browne but I really enjoyed her writing on these very poignant topics. This book covers interpartner violence/ domestic violence, alcoholism, teenage relationships, teen parenting, and more. Yet, we never fully dive into most of the topics and how they helped to shape Angel, our main character.
  
  After reading about Angel's injury and her past relationship my mind immediately went to domestic violence and although Browne offers us hints throughout the story, we never fully address Angel's previous relationship.
  
  Loved the mentions of Black authors and Angel's relationship to reading. I LIVED in my local library and experienced similar forceful suggestions to read the "classics" instead of reaching for Black authors.
  
  Overall this was okay and could've been better if we spent more time on Angel's past and how it shaped who she was.
• 
  Martina

  
  “I used to think it was something wrong with me, not wanting to read certain books that everybody said were the best or were classics. Now I know the truth.
  I’m looking for stories that remind me of me.”
  
  Vinyl Moon is an audiobook I came across randomly. Thank you @prha for the ALC.
  I was immediately interested because the cover is absolutely gorgeous.
  
  This novel written in verse tells the story of Angel. A teen girl who has relocated to New York, escaping an abusive relationship.
  We get to read about her struggles to face the trauma, and explore her new life.
  
  Vinyl Moon is a like a love letter to Black authors. Angel finds hope in the books that she reads, as a reader I absolutely felt this in my heart.
  
  I found this to be a beautiful book and I’m surprised that I have not heard much about it. I plan to read more by this author asap.
  
  The audiobook was phenomenal, the narrator was perfect for this. 10/10
  
  
• 
  Becky

  Angel is a girl who has suffered abuse and experienced trauma in her life. This book dips it’s toe into Angel’s experience; while it doesn’t delve too deeply into the trauma, the book demonstrates the necessity of time, counseling and patience needed as a person slowly works to process all that has happened. Mahogany Browne does an exceptional job drawing readers in to understand what’s happened to Angel as well as seeing Angel slowly become comfortable in all the possibilities that lay before her.
  
  Vinyl Moon is definitely a book to be added to libraries and also to be read widely.
• 
  adeline

  i read this as an audiobook and the narrator did a really excellent job. she poured emotions into everything that angel has to deal with. my one gripe is that this book is too short and i feel like the various topics would’ve been explored further if this was a full length novel
• 
  Never Without a Book

  This won had me in tears by the end.
• 
  Candice Hale

  Once again Mahogany L. Browne immerses her readers in a captivating, uplifting, and heartbreaking read with her recent YA novel𝙑𝙞𝙣𝙮𝙡 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣. After an abusive and toxic relationship, Angel is transported from California to New York to escape the abuse and to heal from the trauma. As a new transplant, Angel struggles to belong. Angel ponders: “As my shoulder begins to ache, like a well-timed reminder of past mistakes, I try to shrug. I wish I could do it all differently. I just don’t know how." It’s not until Angel begins her new school in Brooklyn and enrolls in Ms. G’s class and becomes a part of the H.E.R. program. The program allows young women to share their own stories of healing—only then can Angel find a place to call home and feel a rhythm that makes sense.
  
  One of my favorite characters in this book has to be Ms. G. Ms. G is definitely one of the realest educators out there to provide an outlet for young girls to process their trauma, grief, and wounds when the world may have given up on them. Educators are special and necessary in these spaces. Angel utters a gem: “I’m looking for stories that remind me of me…my teacher says whatever book that makes you feel like you are home can be a classic.” Ms. G introduces her to books authored by Black writers and allows her to see herself in the books. A key step in (re)inventing the self and healing.
  
  Throughout 𝙑𝙞𝙣𝙮𝙡 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣, Browne uses a mix of prose, poetry, and vignettes to tell us a series of events about teenage relationships, domestic violence and abuse, child death and parenting, education, trauma, and music that affect Angel and other characters. In the epigraph, Browne states, “This story is dedicated to the act of showing up for yourself.” I only wish that Angel’s story was explored more and we actually know how she got there. The ending fell flat for me and was tied up too neat with a bow. What shaped Angel into this fully-fledged character by the end?
  
  Overall, I would still recommend𝙑𝙞𝙣𝙮𝙡 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣 to young girls and women because it tends to the wounds we are good at hiding.
• 
  Gina Malanga

  I can not wait to get a hard copy of this book for my classroom! I KNOW my students are going to love it. In her second book the author blends the lyricism of her own words and the rhythm of music to show how people can heal from the tragedies and struggles they have suffered through. Each of the characters in the story has a backstory, but each of them has found a light, a way to overcome and a meaning in their life that begins and ends with their happiness. This is such an important message for young people. With a Brooklyn back drop come late with Timbs and Jamaican Meat Patties, I know my students will love this book as much as I did!
• 
  Jes

  I feel like this had some interesting ideas but nearly every aspect of this book was underdeveloped. It took 45 minutes to read so I guess I can't complain too much but :-/
• 
  Manon (bookswithonno)

  As someone who absolutely loves reading books in verse, Vinyl Moon has been on my radar since July last year. I read Mahogany L Browne’s other book in verse, Chlorine Sky, last year in February and really enjoyed the read! I’m so happy I got the chance to read Vinyl Moon before it got published and am very excited to be sharing my review with you today :)
  
  Vinyl Moon is about a teenage girl named Angel, who had an incident (no spoilers 😉) which results in her moving to Brooklyn to live with her uncle. We follow Angel as she attends a new school and slowly finds her footing at this new place, in this new city, while she also slowly confronts her past and her feelings toward it. Vinyl Moon’s writing style was very surprising and refreshing. I expected this novel to be entirely written in verse but Browne weaved together prose, poems, and vignettes, which I’d never seen in a novel before! I absolutely loved this unique mix of forms and feel like it worked perfectly with the story. Finding oneself is a main theme in this novel and I think the unique format strengthens this theme because finding ourselves can be a journey of trying out different things and we are never just one thing but we contain multitudes (as Whitman put it). Further, the story is rather short (176 pages), which makes for a quick read but I do think I would’ve liked it even better if it had been a bit longer. Even though the story wraps up nicely, I would’ve liked reading more about Angel’s healing process subsequent to processing her past. I feel like the book could’ve dived deeper into Angel’s feelings towards her past, as it briefly discusses triggering experiences but never deeply tackles these topics. All in all, I definitely recommend this book because it’s a unique and important read, but I do wish it would’ve went more in depth.
  
  Rating: 3.5/5 stars
  
  Thank you to PRH International for providing me with an early finished copy. This did not affect the honesty of my review in any way.
• 
  theperksofbeingmarissa ;)

  “I learned about who my mother was and who she is trying to become.” So beautiful 🥲
  
  I give this read 4/5 stars. I think I would actually give it a 3, but I think the connection I felt with the main character, I rounded it up.
  
  Browne brings up topics like gun violence, neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, homophobia, and more in this novel. I wish she would’ve explored some of these topics more. I don’t know…There was like a small mention here and there, but it didn’t seem to flow that well to me.
  
  I also think Angel’s relationship with Darius should have been talked about more. It’s one of the big reasons she moved to the city, so brief mentions throughout the book and the full story at the end didn’t do much for me.
  
  On a personal level, I would’ve appreciated this book as a teen. I also dealt with neglect, witnessing domestic violence, physical abuse, and gun violence. Books were my escape to other worlds as a kid, but books that were similar to my experience helped me not feel alone in my reality.
• 
  Madison

  Since joining bookstagram, I've really gotten into novels told in verse. I picked this up on a whim as I was feeling a little slumpy and it definitely was the right choice. I flew through Angel's story. I loved how this shows the power of good relationships between teachers and students and what it means to know someone believes in you. I will definitely be picking up Chlorine Sky soon.
  
  Thanks to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy.
• 
  Addy

  the $1 i spent on this was a waste of money
• 
  maegan

  I hated the writing style. Sad and disappointed.
• 
  Crowinator

  Actual rating: 3.5 stars
• 
  Brownskinnedreader

  I am not going to lie. This book took me a second to get into. The back and forth between timelines confused me at first but when I switched to the audiobook I was able to read this a lot quicker. It is a poetic book and I loved that Angel was trying to discover who she was as a person.
• 
  Eva

  After a violent incident with her boyfriend Darius, Angel’s mom sent her away from their northern California home to live with her uncle in Brooklyn. Now, she’s trying to make her way in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, while at the same time trying to heal, both physically and mentally, from her trauma.
  
  This short, beautiful novel stitches together brief vignettes, all written from the point of view of Angel, along with several poems and a few text exchanges. As the book progresses, the nature of the “incident” and the abusive relationship that led to it becomes clear, as do her feelings of guilt, self-doubt, grief, anger, and resentment, as well as her PTSD. But Angel finds hope and life in the books that she reads – powerful works by female authors of color like The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison – and in the music she listens to. This book is in part a love letter to books and music, and the powerful effect they can have on our lives. She also learns a lot about how to love herself by finding people who love and support her in healthier ways than she is used to.
  
  Representation: People of color, black main and side characters and other POCs, lesbian and bisexual characters, main character has PTSD
  
  CW: Domestic violence and abusive relationships
  
  I received a advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Kalena W

  3/5 stars, an important but maybe too short read
  
  I don't remember much from when I read this book, but I do know that it touched on a lot of important topics in a small time frame. While I had no issue with reading about these topics, I think the way the writing style represented things like the aftermath of an abusive relationship was not my favorite. There were times that it definitely felt like an older young adult novel, but other times that it just read like middle grade, but it really wasn't because of the themes.
  
  However, the writing including little poems and pieces like that was interesting, and I do usually enjoy it when novels do that. But with this one, I felt like it took me out of the story constantly, so while they contributed to the overall plot, I just felt like it wasn't very connected. Especially as this is a shorter book I really need to become connected to the story instantly, but that just wasn't the case here, unfortunately.
  
  It reads like a debut novel and that's perfectly fine, I just think it would have benefited from being a little longer or going through a bit more editing. The connections between the story were not built up enough for me to truly care about most of the story happening. It was important and I definitely think that it should be discussed in young adult literature, I just think the execution was a bit poor.
  
  [TW: racism, cheating (mentioned), domestic and physical abuse (mentioned a lot)]
• 
  Kate Mester

  3.5 Bahni Turpin delivers an excellent audio, as always, especially in shifting back and forth between the prose story and Angel's poems. Browne's second novel in verse tackles equally tough topics and will be compulsively and quickly readable to the YA audience, however I wanted her to explore Angel's healing from her trauma a little more deeply. The ending wraps up too neatly without her fully processing and understanding healing. The secondary characters are pretty good, particularly the Uncle, friends, and the two main teachers.
  
  And a critique from a librarian lens: Though Browne thanks librarians in her acknowledgments, this is yet another YA book where the library as a space is used as a safe place and specific awesome titles are called out (yay!)... But the librarian is a horrific white lady. Yes, many of us ARE awful, but there are also great librarians and also non-white librarians and I'd love to see some more representation of these amazing people, beyond the stock cannon-pusher/shusher.